Unkept Promises

Of all he had done

Abhiram's POV

Perhaps, it had been easier with Aaru's presence in the home, perhaps it would have been less awkward.

F*ck, look at me being a coward, desperately scared of a situation of which I had created myself, but I knew that I needed to make those efforts, to take that first step.

"Avi, I, can we please talk?", I nervously asked her.

She had been staring at me, I cannot really pinpoint the emotion swirling in her eyes, but it seemed like she was contemplating something, and I could only hope that it would turn out to be in my favour.

She let out a huge sigh, "You know what Abhiram. Let's talk. I am tired of listening to the same statement over and over again and at least I do not want to be the one to not listen to their partner, even if the partner's just for a namesake now."

Ouch! Her words hurt, but every syllable of what she had spoken just now was the truth and I was not indolent enough to refute anything now. One thing I knew for sure, if I have to salvage this mess which is the very fruit of my lack of understanding, I would need to be very careful and proceed as per her pace. And honestly, whatever it would be - her pace, her words, her emotions, her gestures, her outbursts, I would make peace with them all. At least I had her here in front of me - reacting, and that would be more than enough for now.

I walked inside the kitchen and got for her a glass of water.

"Here."

"It seems that you need it more than me. Drink it.", she shook her head. Hmm, perhaps she was right. I did as she told me to do. Hell, if she would ask me to get stars and the moon for her, I would do it right now.

"What is it Abhiram?", she had now folded her arms over her chest when I had gone quiet for quite too long.

"Avi, please listen to me. I want to dissect all of what had happened with you. Consider it as though I want to completely come clean."

She shook her head in negation and was probably about to retort as to why she would not hear my side of the things from that wretched day, which was fair, but I had to persist. This was the only way I could ever have a chance at making things right.

"Please Avi, bas ek baar, please.", I took ahold of her wrist and pleaded.

(bas ek baar - just this once)

She contemplated my words for a whole minute, I think, or so it felt like and then nodded hesitantly. My Avi was too kind, much kinder than me.

"Let me start from the beginning. When Kinjal had begun her hysterics of stomach cramps that day, I yelled at you and spoke some really hurtful things which I was about to apologize for. Since, that was not your fault, but the evident result of those circumstances. But then what happened was, I heard her crying about how you accused her of faking the miscarriage and I do not know how, but I just slipped into an incessant bout of anger. At that moment, that felt right to me. I cannot exactly describe my state of mind, but I was furious and really upset for more reasons than one. For starters, it was because my sister had just lost her child and the circumstances preceding that were not too pleasant. Another thing, you accusing her of those crimes or those vicious happenings which seemed really unbelievable, because I had never even imagined Kinjal could be this evil..."

"And yet you could easily believe that I could do so evil, that I could be so vindictive.", Avi seemed enraged and that was for all the obvious reasons.

"Avi please, I know you are right, and I deserve every single syllable coming from you, but please let me complete this.", I pleaded yet again. She pressed her lips as though preventing any further words and gestured me to continue.